NORWALK -- The Brien McMahon High School football team is 6-0 for the first time since its Class MM state championship season of 1994, and much of the attention has gone to the potent running attack under the calm direction of largely mistake-free junior quarterback Matt Downey.

What has gone largely unnoticed through this stretch is the defense, which is giving up just under 11 points a game.

Head coach AJ Albano believes this unit -- particularly the defensive line -- sets the tone for what has the chance to be a special year on Highland Avenue.

"We've given up the least amount of points in the FCIAC so far," Albano said of the 65 his Senators have surrendered, going into Friday's 7 p.m. contest at Fairfield Ludlowe. "The defense has been the backbone of the team all year, and the defensive line has been the rock of our defense. I'm not sure why we've flown under the radar -- whether or not we have -- but if we keep doing what we're supposed to do, we'll be successful. That starts again with Fairfield Ludlowe."

Coming off a bye week, the Senators enter the make-or-break stretch of their campaign. After the Falcons, it's a trip to Tiger Hollow on Nov. 8 to take on Ridgefield, then the state's third-ranked team -- St. Joseph -- comes to Jack Casagrande Field on Nov. 15.

For now, McMahon is looking to win its next game, and those members of the defensive line -- Matt Hargrove, Mike Bottex, Allan Lenard, Rutho Charlot and David Daniel -- are not looking past Friday night.

"Being 6-0 is a great feeling, but we just want to go 1-0 every week," said Hargrove, a tackle. "We don't care about the previous week. We're definitely playing as a team. Whether one of us is clogging the holes or making tackles, everybody does their job."

Bottex, the man in the middle of all the chaos at noseguard, thrives on playing the (literally) pivotal position of the defense.

"I love doing it," Bottex said of taking on double and triple teams. "Some people say it's boring. I don't mind getting beat up all the time, as long as Matt or (linebacker) Kenny (Keen) are making tackles. Being 6-0 feels great. I've never been undefeated before."

Lenard mentioned one factor that may have contributed to McMahon's low profile: Its opponents have combined for just 12 wins.

"Being 6-0 means a lot to all of us," Lenard said. "People say we haven't played anyone. That just means we have to go 1-0 every week. On the team I've got to pick everyone up and be a good leader. If I'm a good leader, then the whole pack comes along."

Charlot does not want any of his teammates thinking they have accomplished anything as the calendar roles over to November.

"We just go 1-0 every week and we don't let the wins go to our head," Charlot said. "You play how you practice. When we do our job, the linebackers get the hit. When they get a tackle, it's my tackle, too. We just have to play how we practice."

Daniel stayed in that thought process, realizing that the final month of the season with all this potential is not time to let up.

"Six-and-0 is wild, but it's no time to stop working," Daniel said. "Hard work is all it is. We come to practice because we still have things to prove. This is strictly business."

Albano knows this quintet is not a textbook defensive line. Lenard is the tallest, at 6-foot-1, and Hargrove the heaviest, tipping the scales at a mere 200 pounds.

Giving away up to 100 pounds per player, and still making plays requires attitude -- and a bit of a nasty streak.

"Matt is an unbelievable football player, a defensive football player," Albano said of one of his senior captains, who also starts at tight end. "He's got an edge to him. He likes to hit people, legally. Matt leads the team in assisted tackles. That means he's shedding lots of blocks and making plays all over the field. He's the rock of the line. We asked him to move inside, from end. Matt's not a prototypical inside lineman, but he's done a nice job. This is about doing your job, and trusting your linebacker to fill the gap. You don't get 'nosy.' That's been the key to our defense."

Lenard simply took advantage of an opportunity to get into the lineup and has not let the coaches take him out.

"Allan didn't play (football) as a sophomore, and then he came out as a junior, where he played tight end and defensive end," Albano said of the senior basketball standout. "Because of a discipline problem, we sat someone for the first half of the Wilton game (in 2012), and Allan never came off the field. He is relentless motion, and he has a big body. Allan is a guy that forces the run inside, and rushes the passer."

Not surprisingly, Albano feels Bottex is the unsung mainstay of the line.

"Mike's the one kid people don't know about, and he might be the most important," Albano said. "He's closest to the ball, in the 'A' gap, and he takes on double teams. Mike's over the center, he does his job, and he works hard. He's the strongest kid on the team, with over 900 pounds on his bench (400), squat (300) and clean (215)."

Albano describes Charlot as "really a program kid."

"Rutho has come a long way, on and off the field," Albano said. "He started out at tight end, then moved to guard, then defensive end. He was doing his own thing at the beginning of the year. He had to understand 'do your job.' Rutho did not have a lot of varsity defensive experience, but he's done a good job being coachable."

Daniel, a junior -- the lone underclassman on the line -- is Albano's "sixth man."

"David is my 'spell guy,' but he would be a starter on 85 percent of the FCIAC teams," Albano said. "He's not a starter, per se, but he spells Matt, Rutho and Allan. David's allowed us to get those guys rest without a drop-off in production."

One key trait runs through all five of them -- through the entire roster, in fact -- producing an undefeated team with few, if any, names that roll off the tongues of observers listing the state's elite performers.

"They are all unselfish," Albano said. "They don't care who gets the tackle. They say 'let me do my job.' They take on blocks and swarm to the ball. They are part of an unselfish football team, and that's what defense is."

After a weekend without a game, the Senators are eager to hit someone else.

"We're chomping at the bit," Albano said. "We need to win this week. If we don't win against Ludlowe, Ridgefield doesn't mean anything. We want to play a game, and we don't want to waste any opportunities."